1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a packaging machine and more specifically to a machine for compressing and closing a flexible plastic bag containing a predetermined quantity by weight of chopped leafy vegetables with the volume of the package being reduced so that a larger number of packages can be placed in a container in order to enable more packages to be shipped and stored in a predetermined size load body, storage space, and the like.
2. Description of Relevant Art
In present day food distribution procedures, many restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants, carry-out restaurants and the like, receive chopped leafy vegetables, such as cole slaw, salads and the like, in bulk form. Plastic bags which are heat sealed are conventionally employed to pack the chopped leafy vegetables to facilitate transportation and handling of such material. The leafy chopped vegetables occupy a relatively large volume as compared to its weight which adds considerably to the cost of transporting such material. Usually, a plurality of plastic bag packages of chopped leafy vegetables are placed in a cardboard container and the cardboard containers shipped from the point of packaging of the vegetables to a distribution point or point of use. Various machines are commercially available which will deposit predetermined quantities of materials into flexible bags and then close the bags by using various procedures. When flexible plastic bags are used, the use of a heat sealing technique to close such bags is also well known. The following U.S. patents disclose devices relevant to this field of endeavor:
U.S. Pat. No. 1.923,244 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,609 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,350 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,752 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,766